By Andrew Gray WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday branded the outpatient care of U.S. troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan "unacceptable" and promised officials would be held accountable for the failings. The Bush administration has scrambled to address problems at the flagship Walter Reed Army Medical Center after newspaper reports showed wounded troops were living in shoddy conditions and struggling with bureaucratic procedures. "After the facts are established, those responsible for having allowed this unacceptable situation to develop will indeed be held accountable," Gates said on a visit to the hospital, making his first public comments on the issue. The Pentagon has announced an independent review into outpatient care due to the reports. Gates said some people most directly responsible for the problems had already been relieved of their duties but scrutiny would not end there. "We will be looking (at) and evaluating the rest of the chain of command as we get more information," he told reporters at the hospital on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. No one had offered to resign, he said. After a lengthy investigation, The Washington Post reported on Sunday that recuperating soldiers were living in a dilapidated building infested with mice, mold, and cockroaches. The U.S. Army says it has already fixed some of the problems. The newspaper also found wounded troops forced to untangle a web of bureaucratic red tape to obtain benefits and treatment as they coped with physical and psychological trauma. Government investigators found the typical soldier must file 22 documents with eight different commands to enter and exit the medical processing system, the Post reported. "They battled our foreign enemies -- they should not have to battle an American bureaucracy," Gates declared. President George W. Bush has frequently praised wounded U.S. troops for their sacrifices. After a visit to Walter Reed last December, he said: "We owe them all we can give them -- not only for when they're in harm's way, but when they come home to help them adjust if they have wounds, or help them adjust after their time in service." Gates said he had briefed Bush on Friday before visiting the hospital. "He is understandably concerned and emphatic in wanting the best possible care for our wounded soldiers and for their families," he said. About 31,000 U.S. soldiers have been evacuated for medical reasons, 4,000 of them with battle injuries, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a top Army officer said this week. Outpatients at Walter Reed are largely troops who have received initial medical care but require further treatment before they can go home or return to duty. The average outpatient stay lasts 10 months, the Washington Post said.
